The cast, crew, and fans of Stargate Atlantis let out a collective sigh of relief this week, with SCI FI Channel announcing that the show has been picked up for a fifth season (story).

But what does another year mean for the show's creative direction? Will new cast members such as Amanda Tapping ("Samantha Carter") stick around for another year? And does this mean that the third TV series, Stargate Universe, has been put on hold?

We went straight to executive producer (and one of Atlantis's show-runners) Joseph Mallozzi for some answers: